The present invention relates to the treatment of arterial obstructions, and particularly blood clots in a blood vessel, such as a coronary artery.
It is known that most heart attacks are caused by the formation of a blood clot in a coronary artery and that the damage caused by a heart attack can be minimized by prompt medical intervention. In the case of a massive heart attack, 50% or more of the volume of the blockage consists of clot. Conventionally, this intervention primarily consists of a technique and apparatus that provides restoration of blood flow, with or without clot removal.
However, the appliances currently available for performing such an intervention are relatively costly, their utilization requires highly specialized training, and only a limited number of facilities are equipped to provide the necessary treatment. These facilities require a formal interventional cardiac catheterization laboratory.
Moreover, many heart attack victims, estimated at 50%, are too remote from a hospital equipped to carry out such a treatment to be able to receive the necessary treatment sufficiently quickly to minimize damage to heart muscle (minutes mean muscle death), and to prevent death.